Zhaire returned to Celestia, with the knights having left their recently bonded companions together in a newly formed herd. They would be in the settlement for a few days, and most of the knights would be taking a well-deserved break before their extended deployment. Zhaire was pleased to see that everyone was getting along, and forming a cohesive unit. They made their way to the tavern to try some of the magically produced alcohol that had just become available.
Zhaire didn’t join them, having some very specific items to purchase before they left, some of which had already been commissioned. He had decided to take on the role of quartermaster for their unit, in addition to being the commander. He also didn’t want to ruin their fun with his darker mood.
The two largest, and likely longest wait time items were saddles and saddlebags from a leatherworker. If they were going to become a cavalry unit, they needed to have their mounts properly equipped. While it wasn’t impossible to ride on the back of the Starseekers without a saddle, Zhaire having done just that in the most recent battle against the Chixel, using a bony plate as an improvised seat was far from ideal. The saddlebags were also essential, as they would need extra supplies for the mission to Kansas City. Other equestrian equipment, such as a bridle or reins, were not needed, as the Starseekers would obey their mental commands.
While he was in the leather worker’s shop, he also purchased as much armor as was available, with a mix of Drake and Umbral Tiger armor. He would’ve preferred Drake armor for everyone; While it was heavier, that was mitigated by them riding on the war-horse like Starseekers, and it was much more durable. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who thought this way, and a piece of Drake armor was selling for 50,000 credits, a sum very few could afford. It was still less than what the leatherworker could get simply by selling it to the system, so Zhaire didn’t do more than grumble as he transferred what he had originally considered vast amounts of wealth.
Zhaire had earned a good amount of credits, most of which came from a rather lucrative bribe from the city to turn over the soul weapons. He had no qualms about turning the cursed weapons in, not after what he had seen it do to Teresa. Still, the 200,000 they had given him for each weapon gauntlet pair would be mostly spent in just the first shop he visited.
The next stop was Caroline's lab. Zhaire had sent much of the remains back via a porter constantly running to and from Celestia as they hunted through the seagrass plains. Caroline was still working on the Starseeker elixirs, though she assured him that she could produce several of them before he departed. She had already produced several different variants on Drake and Umbral Tiger elixirs, selling them for steep prices, only somewhat offset by the materials Zhaire had provided her.
He also wanted to restock his normal potions that restored the three resources, wanting a variety of quick-acting or extended effects. Caroline also had several potions that temporarily raised an attribute, one for each of the primary stats. He was somewhat wary of them, not wanting the same thing that had happened to Teresa to occur. Caroline reassured him that was unlikely, though still possible. Her potions lasted longer, just over 2 hours each, and they had a less extreme effect. Someone who died because they lost stats would have already been on death’s door. Zhaire still wasn’t thrilled with the idea, only purchasing a couple of each.
Despite the credits they had earned from selling some of the monster parts, Zhaire began to suspect he wouldn’t have enough to purchase everything they needed. That’s why he found himself meeting with the settlements council, negotiating for his knight’s wages to be paid upfront before they left. All the knights had agreed their first wages would be spent on equipment, they wouldn’t be staying in the settlement to use it on anything else. Unfortunately, the settlement didn’t have enough credits to pay a fair wage, offering him only 100,000 credits for his entire unit's wages for the next 3 months. They admitted it wasn’t what they were worth, but it was all they could afford at the moment.
With the settlement not providing as much as he had hoped, he moved on to his last resort. Christoph the merchant was also operating out of the partially completed city hall building, using an office as his place of business.
“You admit there is a chance you might not return, why would I give you such a fortune under such circumstances?”
“Civic duty,” Zhaire growled. The merchant laughed at that.
“Imri already has me giving interest rates in line with what they were before the integration. While that might seem fair, it is anything but. There is far more risk, and that is for people who are staying in the settlement, not riding out on errantry,” The merchant said.
“You didn’t say no, so just tell me what you want?” Zhaire hissed, not sure how anyone put up with the greedy man.
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“I’ll give you the loan, but not a traditional loan. I give you the credits now, you repay it the moment you return with any inventory, with an extra 10%. In addition, I get first right of refusal on anything you return with.”
“This feels like a payday loan,” Zhaire pointed out.
“Most people don’t get a small fortune from an unsecured payday loan, and those people didn’t have to worry about their clients getting murdered by whatever aliens you're off to fight. I feel these terms are more than fair. Now do you accept it or not?” Christoph said. Zhaire sighed but shook the merchant's hand, agreeing to the deal. He took no small amount of pleasure from squeezing a little harder than was strictly necessary with his enhanced strength, causing the portly merchant to wince. It was finalized when Russ, who had an office across from Christoph, drew up a contract with both parties signing. The penalty for Zhaire not returning and providing the items was essentially a magic wage garnishment with an even steeper rate.
With renewed funds, 200,000 of it from the payday loan, he went shopping for weapons. The main supplier was Elliot, the bone shaper. His unique profession allowed him to make the nearly indestructible bones of the high-level creature somewhat malleable. This allowed him to shape teeth into bladed spear tips or short swords. He also made the hafts of the weapons out of leg bones or tail bones. He had also started constructing armor out of the Drake's rib cage. This was both heavier and offered more protection than the leather alone. Zhaire purchased one suit of armor for himself and enough weapons so everyone would have a primary weapon and a side arm.
His next stop was to the bowyer, Brock, having seen the effects of the weapons he had created. Unfortunately, his prices were steep, even relative to the exorbitant prices of the other items he had recently purchased. These prices weren’t surprising considering Roland’s bows took almost a week to make. On top of that, lumber was one of the hardest, and therefore most expensive basic materials to acquire. This meant that buying a bow was more than any two weapons from the bone shaper. Zhaire still had the bow Jenson had used, given to one of his archers. Zhaire cringed as he purchased one more, his large stores of wealth already nearly drained a second time.
His last stop of note was Imri’s shop, and he quickly regretted his earlier spending. The enchanter had a wide variety of items for sale, far more than the usual Time Dilation pieces of jewelry. He had several phone-sized items that could be used to measure various things, from mana density to distance, or time. He had small flashlight-sized canisters that were essentially a popular sci-fi blade. His newest item was a compass-like item that could be used to adjust the local effect of gravity, either up or down to varying degrees. Unfortunately, all of the items weren’t within Zhaire’s price range with him still needing mundane supplies like rations and bandages.
“Unfortunately, the council doesn’t want me giving out items far below market value,” Imri said sympathetically.
“I didn’t fucking ask for charity,” Zhaire growled.
“I’m sorry about what happened with Teresa, if I had been stronger maybe she would still be here,” Imri said.
“Don’t do that,” Zhaire said sharply.
“Sorry, do what?” Imri asked.
“That, stop fucking apologizing for everything. We don’t all need Imri the high and mighty mage to save us,” Zhaire snapped.
“I…” Imri stuttered at a loss for words.
“You’re not the only one who could have saved her. If I had been stronger she wouldn’t have needed to use that fucked up sword,” Zhaire said, straining not to shed a tear in front of this man of all people.
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Imri said, eliciting a glare from Zhaire. “Sorry,” he said again. Zhaire just sighed.
“Whatever,” Zhaire said. “Just know that I’ll be working hard to catch up to you. When I come back, I’ll be higher level than you.”
“Wait there is one more thing,” Imri said. Zhaire glared at him and he quickly added, “Not charity, I have a job for you, one that won’t interfere with your mission,” Imri explained as he dug through some items until he found what he was looking for. It was a rectangular piece of metal with strange circuit-like grooves, nearly indistinguishable from the panels that charged the large crystal that stood near the nexus, albeit much smaller, around the size of a large phone or tablet. “This is an improved version of the mana density reader, and I want you to borrow it. It also can double as a mana charger, though it won’t work if the density is too low. It also has a Spatial Beacon, so I can keep track of your movements. I would like you to take readings as you travel and report back to me with any notable findings. In exchange, you can have any one of my items.”
Zhaire immediately had to resist the urge to take one of his sabers. He had seen them in action, and he didn’t care how impractical they were, he wanted one. Unfortunately, what he wanted wasn’t what the knights needed. “I’ll take this one,” he said with a wide grin, taking one of the gravity-altering devices.
The next day, Zhaire took a child-like glee from distributing the items throughout the unit. Each of the members reverently accepted their assigned items with enthusiasm. Zhaire fervently hoped it would make a difference, that it would save their lives in the coming battles. He doubted they would all be returning to Celestia. For some, this would be the last joyous moments of their lives. Zhaire vowed he would do all he could, he would get stronger and keep as many of them alive as he could.